Color selector and specifier



March 25, 1969 G. c. BROWN, JR 3,434,227

COLdR SELECTOR AND SPECIFIER Filed May 22, 1967 [4 H l2 l3 FIG.2

INVENTOR. GEORGE C. R.

l8 BY ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 35-283 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A color selector and specifier comprising a plurality of stepped sheets each having printing ink sample areas printed thereon. Each sheet is folded to provide a back portion having printing ink sample areas thereon divided into separable coupons.

The present invention is concerned with a color selector and specifier and, more particularly, with a color selector and specifier for printing ink.

It is a problem in the printing ink industry to provide customers, potential customers, and, more particularly, their designers, with samples of various colors of available printing inks. In a standard line of inks, a manufacturer will produce a relatively few basic colors plus black and white which can be mixed to provide a whole spectrum in various hues, tints and shades. When artists and designers specify a color, the printer must then try to match the specified color by mixtures of the various base inks. However, complications arise. The same ink will print differing appearing colors on different types of printing stock. Slight mismatches will occur due to minor variations in ink proportions. Very often when confronted with the completed printed job, the artist or designer will be disappointed with the results.

The problem solved by the present invention is the provision of an inexpensive color selector and specifier which can be used by a designer or artist to select the desired color from standard color mixtures available or to indicate a desired compromise in colors between two illustrated colors. Then the artist can specify the selected color to the pressman. Merely by attaching a coupon or coupons of the selected color or colors to his art work, an artist can indicate to the pressman exactly how the finished printed color should appear on a sample of the stock being printed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel color selector and specifier.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel color selector and specifier for printing inks.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of the novel color selector and specifier of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the novel color selector and specifier of the present invention.

Referring now in the drawing to both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, sheets 11, 12 and 13 of printing stock are mounted atop one another as, for example, by means of ring connector 14 on backings 15 and 16 which can advantageously be made of stiff cardboard. Sheets 11, 12 and 13 can be of paper, cardboard, foil, film or the like on which printing is normally conducted. On the front face of sheets 11, 12 and 13 are print-containing areas 17 printed with variously colored printing inks. These areas are generally configured as bands passing not only across at least part of the front of sheets 11, 12 and 13, but also across folded over portions 18. Folded over portions 18 contain bands 17 which are divided into sample coupons 19 advantageously by perforations .20. On the front of sheets 11, 12 and 13 are printed not only basic solid color areas 17, but also reduced color areas 21 and 22 to illustrate and indicate the variety of tints obtainable by use of screen reduced printing of the basic colors of areas 17.

An advantageous feature of the printing ink color selector and specifier of the present invention is the relative positioning of sheets 11, 12 and 13. All of the colors present on the comparator are immediately visible since the lowermost sheet 13 extends beyond the lateral edge of sheet 12 and sheet 12 in turn extends beyond the lateral edge of sheet 11. By this arrangement one can immediately find a particular color of interest on any visible sheet, or if desired can immediately compare the effect of a given ink color on various types of printing stock represented by sheets 11, 12 and 13.

Advantageously, the ink colors selected are those which are produced by mixing various proportions of basic colors. This is advantageous because one seeking a particular color can either find it directly on the color selector or estimate it quite precisely by reference to similar colors and the compositions thereof.

It is to be appreciated that while the drawings illustrate for simplicity sake a color selector comprising only three sheets, each having fourteen colors, the number of sheets and colors can be increased or decreased at will. Furthermore, coupon "samples 19 can be greater or smaller in number than that illustrated. The separability of coupon samples 19 is an important feature of the color selector since color matching must be done under circumstances wherein the eye is not tricked by adjacent colors. Thus color coupons 19 can be removed without damaging the comparators color unity and be brought to the press or other color matching location to assure that the designers ideas will be accurately transformed by the pressman onto the final print.

While the present invention has been described in conjunction with advantageou embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Such modifications: and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A color selector and specifier comprising a plurality of sheets mounted one atop another, each of said sheets comprising a front portion containing a plurality of ink sample areas printed in various colored printing inks and screened reductions thereof and at least one folded over back portion having a plurality of areas printed in said various colored printing inks, each of said areas in said plurality of areas on said back portion being divided into removable coupon samples and said plurality of sheets being mounted such that lower ones of said sheets project 3 outwardly in lateral directions beyond the upper ones of said sheets to simultaneously display each of said ink colors printed thereon.

2. A color selector and specifier as in claim 1 including backing members bound together with said sheets.

3. A color selector and specifier as in claim 2 wherein each of said sheets contains two folded over back portions containing perforated sample coupons.

4. A color selector and specifier as in claim 1 wherein the sheets comprise various substrates having the same inks printed thereon for comparison of the effects produced by the various substrates.

4- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 488,375 12/1892 White 35-283 750,620 1/1904 Dohse 35-283 2,203,167 6/1940 Lodwick 3528.3 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 545,251 8/1957 Canada. 1,010,939 11/1965 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

H. S. SKOGQUIST, Assistant Examiner. 

